


living up to my title

by kathoo



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Attempted Murder, Canon Compliant, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Hugging, Mental Breakdown, Opening Up, kind of, takes place in chapter 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2019-04-28 10:13:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14447082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kathoo/pseuds/kathoo
Summary: “Give me one good reason not to shoot you,” Maki demanded. She could put on her facade of confidence, but Tenko could see the trembling in her grip.“Because I really, really don’t want you to kill me,” Tenko told her. “And I know that you really, really don’t want to, either.".Or, Tenko persuades Maki out of murder.





	living up to my title

Tenko wasn’t a violent person, really. She didn’t like resorting to violence, but sometimes when she truly felt like she had to, she did. Then again, one could argue that Tenko too easily felt like she had to, but that wasn’t important right now. Tenko absolutely never laid a hand on another girl- it broke every rule in her book. And while she had never found it to be a problem until right now, she realized how it could put her in a compromising situation.

She had gone to Maki’s Ultimate Lab- where Maki practically lived- to ask her what Himiko’s favorite candy was. Himiko often rattled things off to Maki late at night when she was avoiding none other than Tenko herself, so she figured that perhaps, by chance, Maki might know the answer. She should’ve known that something was wrong when Maki answered, “C-Come in,” in the shaky voice that she had. Maki never stuttered, and Maki was always assertive when she spoke.

The biggest red flag, though, was that Maki was allowing her into her Lab. Maki never allowed anyone into her Lab, ever. Tenko was too caught up in the idea of her task to focus on those things, though, and now she deeply regretted it. Not only had she put herself in the worst situation possible, but Maki, too.

Tenko had expected a calm, quiet atmosphere filled with baby blankets and teething rings. What she got however, was a room filled with dangerous weapons and one _very_ dangerous Maki Harukawa.

Maki extended a shaky arm, a crossbow in hand. She was planning on shooting Tenko, wasn’t she? Of course she was. This was a killing game, after all. “D-Don’t try to run,” Maki told her, “an arrow will be through your heart before you can make it out the door.”

“H-Harukawa-san,” Tenko murmured, frozen in place. “What… What is this? I thought you were a child caregiver…?”

“Shut up!” Maki demanded, a determined glint in her eyes. “You wouldn’t understand, anyway. Not that it matters. You’ll be dead before you can try.”

Tenko could feel the room getting hotter and hotter. Her legs almost wanted to give in at the feeling of the crossbow aimed directly at her. Was this what the moments before death felt like? No wonder people considered a sudden death a mercy- it really, truly was. “Don’t do this, Harukawa-san,” Tenko whispered. “Please, don’t do this.

“Give me one good reason not to shoot you,” Maki demanded. She could put on her facade of confidence, but Tenko could see the trembling in her grip.

“Because I really, really don’t want you to kill me,” Tenko told her. “And I know that you really, really don’t want to, either.”

“You don’t know that,” Maki insisted. “I could kill you right here, right now. You’ve probably figured it out by now, anyway, so I’ll confirm it for you- I’m the Ultimate Assassin. I won’t spare you another thought after killing you.”

“Then why haven’t you shot me, yet?” Tenko questioned. “You… You’re scared, Harukawa-san. I get that. I’m scared, too. But I’m scared for _you_ more than anything. If you kill me, then you’ll be found out, and you’ll be executed. I don’t want that to happen to you.”  
  
“You’re making it seem like this will affect me more than it’ll affect you,” Maki realized. “A typical manipulation tactic. You can’t manipulate me, Chabashira-san. I told you, I’m the Ultimate Assassin.”  
  
“No!” Tenko argued. “I would never do that! I don’t want to die, but I know that you care more than you let on. I don’t know why you’re doing this right now, but… Please, stop. You’re really important, Harukawa-san, I don’t want to have to die knowing that my death will eventually cause yours.”  
  
“Then I won’t get caught,” Maki remedied. “There, problem solved.”

“We both know that’s not going to happen,” Tenko informed her. “We have the Ultimate Detective here."

Maki didn't respond.

"Maki, put the bow down.”  
  
Nothing happened. No one moved. Tenko knew that using her first name was bold, but something had to be done.

“Maki, please,” Tenko begged, and Maki finally complied. Maki slowly, but surely, used her shaking hand to place the crossbow on the floor. It hit the ground with an awful thud, and Tenko wanted to step on it over and over again. She wanted it to be nothing but a broken idea underneath her foot.

“I wanted to change,” Maki whispered, so low that it was barely audible. “I wanted to be someone else. I wanted to be Maki Harukawa, the Ultimate Child Caregiver. But then… my damn motive video. I know that I shouldn’t have accepted Hoshi-kun’s offer to watch it in exchange for his, but… I didn’t know what else to do. And then… my orphanage… and…”

Maki knelt on the ground, and let a choked sob pass through her. “What’s wrong with me? I never tell anything to anyone, but I’m telling everything to you. Why?”

Tenko inched her way towards the distressed girl, before tentatively wrapping her arms around Maki. “Nothing’s wrong with you. Just… let it all out. You need to.”

“I tried to _kill_ you,” Maki pointed out. “Why are you comforting me? I don’t deserve anything like this.”  
  
“Sure, you do,” Tenko assured her. “No one’s unworthy of love.”

“You’re a Neo-Aikido master,” Maki reminded her. “You could’ve put up a fight of some sort, back there. You were close enough where you could’ve caught me off guard in the state I was in. You didn’t, though.”

“I know,” Tenko responded. “I’ll never lay a hand on a girl. Never. You, included. And… I know that you’re not a murderer.”  
  
“I’m an assassin,” Maki replied.  
  
Tenko frowned. “They’re not the same thing.”

After a moment of silence, Tenko continued, “You were telling me about your orphanage. Do you want to go on?”

Maki didn’t move for a solid two minutes, but nodded once more. “Yeah. Sure. Just… Can you hold me for a bit longer?”

Tenko rubbed Maki’s back. “Anything for you, Harukawa-san.” And just sitting right there, on the floor surrounded by deadly weapons with the girl she admired more than anything, was enough for Tenko.

**Author's Note:**

> hi!! thanks for reading. i got this idea and i knew that i had to write it for tenmaki!
> 
> if you liked it, please leave a comment or kudos! thank you,,


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